2nd Corinthians Lesson 5

2 Corinthians 1:4-

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

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Lesson Transcript

Opening

Please open your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 1. This is lesson 5 of our series of lessons on 2 Corinthians. And starting lesson five, we’re also starting in verse four. That lets you know our pace here. But I’m thinking we’re going to pick up as we continue on and pick up a little steam.

Verse 4 - The Purpose of Comfort

So we’ll be starting tonight with verse 4, 2 Corinthians chapter 1: “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

Last week when we looked at verse 3, we talked about the word comfort, which appears 10 times in the verses 3 through 7 of this opening chapter. That’s more often than certainly any other series of verses in the New Testament. In fact, that word occurs in this letter more often than any other letter or book of the New Testament. And certainly when we get to verse 4, I guess we have another record, because that word occurs four times in verse 4.

So it’s definitely a key word for us, not only in this opening chapter, but throughout the entire letter of 2 Corinthians.

The Nature of Comfort

And as we talked about last week, this comfort is not a sense of contentment or ease. This comfort is instead strength and encouragement from God to get through the various sufferings and trials that are being faced. It didn’t mean at all that Paul avoided the sufferings, because we know he did not. What it meant was that God gave him the strength to endure them, and in that way God delivered him. He carried him through those sufferings and afflictions.

And in fact, by this verse here, verse 4, in fact, the previous verse, verse 3, we already have a statement of the theme of this letter. Because the theme of this letter, as we’ve discussed, is strength through weakness. Strength from weakness. And we’re seeing that here as we see the comfort coming from the affliction. The affliction being the weakness, the comfort being the strength from God to endure that affliction.

Unity of the Letter

Well, why is it important to point out that we see the theme already just in the opening verses of this letter? The reason that’s important is because, as we’ve talked, some people think this letter is not a unified letter. They say, oh, well, this is a bunch of letters that have been glued together by somebody and they’ve called it 2 Corinthians. I mean, we know that’s not the case. First, we know from external evidence, every manuscript of 2 Corinthians that’s ever been found looks just like what we have in order and arrangement.

But we also see internal evidence here. The theme of this letter runs throughout the letter, from the opening verses to the end of the letter. The same theme runs throughout. That unifies this text.

Well, you mean that theme occurs at the end also? Because, you know, a lot of commentaries think that chapters 10 through 12 don’t belong with chapters 1 through 9 at all. Well, yes, in fact, that theme is trumpeted in the closing chapters of this. If you look at chapter 12, verse 10, for example, you have what is probably the clearest statement of the theme anywhere in the letter, chapter 12, verse 10. “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

That’s the theme. And we see it from the opening verses all the way to the end of this letter. This letter is a unified whole. Don’t let anyone ever tell you it should be split up.

The Purpose of Weakness

And in fact, when we get to chapter 4, which I won’t be teaching chapter 4, but someone will be, when we get to chapter 4, we’re going to find out that there’s something beautiful, beautiful about our weakness and our suffering. Beautiful about it. Well, what? The beautiful thing about it is it has a purpose. It has meaning. There’s a purpose behind it.

And you find that in chapter 4, verse 7: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels.” Why? “That the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.” Our suffering has a purpose. It has meaning. We’ll talk a little bit more about that tonight. But that runs throughout this letter.

Who Is “Us”?

Now, the third word in verse 4 opens up a big can of exegetical words and problems that we’re going to see again and again in this letter, and that is the word “us.” Who is Paul talking about when he says us? He says us. And in fact, we’re going to see throughout this letter that Paul very often uses that plural pronoun. “We” and “us,” and who’s he talking about? We’re going to have to look very closely at the context.

Well, in verse 4, we really have three choices about who’s Paul talking about. First, he could just be talking about himself. Second, he could be talking about himself and some of his companions, or he could be referring to all Christians, us, all, all of us.

And if verse 4 were just considered in a vacuum, we didn’t look at the context, that last option might be pretty appealing to us. That he’s just talking about everybody, because then Paul would be saying, God comforts us all so that we all can comfort others.

But two verses later, in verse six, Paul is going to continue to use the we, but he’s going to at the same time start addressing the Corinthians directly. “And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and suffering and salvation.” That seems to cast a little doubt, at least, that Paul here in verse 4 is making a general statement about all Christians, because, you know, just a few verses later, he’s still saying we, and there he’s talking about we versus the Corinthians.

The Epistolary Plural

But we can’t be certain because later we’re going to see that Paul sometimes does make some sudden changes in who the we’s referring to. But I will say that most commentaries think that Paul is just talking about himself here in verse 4. Even though he’s saying us and we. And they say, well, this is an example of what they call the epistolary plural, meaning the plural in the letters. Or the apostolic we, we might call it the authorial we, the royal we.

Well, why? I mean, the question for us is not what it’s called, but why would Paul use a plural pronoun to refer to just himself. Seems a little odd. Well, it may be because Paul here is not really writing just as an individual. He may instead picture himself writing here as kind of as a representative of the apostles, because he has an apostolic office. He is an apostle.

And in fact, what is the big charge that’s been leveled against him by the Corinthian false apostles? The big charge against Paul is that you’re not really an apostle. You’re not really an apostle. And he’s going to make a big argument in here that yes, I am. I got my apostleship from God Himself, and Christ appeared to me, et cetera, et cetera. So that may be one reason he’s using this we to put a little more emphasis on his office as an apostle. And I think that’s a strong argument for why he’s doing that.

But I can say that no one’s really certain on this issue. Commentaries are all over the map. But I will say one more point on that, and that is this letter is so personal to Paul. So Paul pours his heart out in this letter. It is so personal to Paul that I think Paul is talking about himself here. My personal opinion is that he’s talking about himself. If not, then he’s likely talking about himself and his companions, maybe Timothy, who he’s already mentioned. Maybe it’s Paul and Timothy, if it’s not just Paul himself.

Verse 5 - The Sufferings of Christ

Verse 5: “For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.”

Now the phrase, “sufferings of Christ abound in us,” that’s a difficult phrase to interpret. There’s a bunch of options here. So, one option is that the phrase could refer to sufferings on account of Christ. Because Paul, of course, is a faithful apostle. He preached a controversial message, and he suffered because of that. And in fact, later in this letter, Paul is going to give us two separate lists of all the things that he has endured, or many of the things that he has endured for Christ.

And I’m going to give you a few more options, but let me tell you now, I think that’s the best option right there: that the sufferings of Christ that are abounding in us, or abounding in Paul are the sufferings that Paul was having because of his fidelity to Christ.

Other Interpretations

Another possibility, though, is that it means the sufferings that were ordained by Christ, that Paul is suffering because Christ said he would suffer them. And that might be the sufferings of Christ. Well, what sufferings are those, you ask? Well, those are really all the sufferings that Paul was having here, because Jesus had told him about those, Acts 9, 15 through 16:

“But the LORD said unto him, Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me,” actually speaking to Ananias, “to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel, for I will show him, Paul, how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” And that suffering could be the sufferings of Christ that Paul is talking about.

A third option is that the phrase refers to the sufferings that Christ Himself experienced. The sufferings of Christ, the sufferings that Christ experienced, which are then shared by those who take up their own cross and follow Christ. That’s similar to the first one, the first option.

A fourth one is that the phrase could refer to the sufferings that are like the sufferings of Christ. The things that Christ suffered, we’re also suffering. And again, that’s similar to the first one, first option.

And a fifth and final option that a one commentary had was that it’s talking about what the church suffers. The sufferings of Christ are the sufferings of the church, and they’re called the sufferings of Christ because the church is the body of Christ.

The Clear Message

A lot of different options. I think the first option is better, the best one. The sufferings of Christ here are the sufferings that occur on account of Paul’s faithfulness to Christ. The sufferings that Paul endured because of the gospel.

In any event, the message of verse five is clear. As those sufferings increase, so does the comfort. As our weakness increases, so does the strength. Whatever weakness we have, God has enough strength to cover it and more. Whatever suffering we have, God has enough comfort and more to cover it. That’s the message of verse 5.

Verse 6 - Suffering for Others

Verse 6: “And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer, or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.”

Whether Paul was being afflicted, and he had been afflicted, or whether Paul was being comforted, and he had been comforted, it was all for the Corinthians. It was all for their sake. What false prophet among the Corinthians could ever make a claim like that? What false prophet, what false apostle could ever make that claim? What false apostle among them had ever suffered at all, much less suffered for their sake?

In fact, these false apostles were using Paul’s suffering against him. They were saying, Paul, you’re suffering. That means God doesn’t love you. That means you’re not on God’s side because you’re suffering. And they were saying to the Corinthians, Look, Paul is suffering. That means he’s not really a follower of God. They were using Paul’s suffering as an argument against him.

And that makes it pretty clear, doesn’t it, that these false apostles weren’t suffering at all? Because then their argument wouldn’t hold if they were also suffering. In fact, they seem to have been very proud that they weren’t suffering. And they were holding Paul’s suffering against him.

The Test of Godliness

That makes us recall immediately, 2 Timothy 3, verse 12: “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Our suffering and our persecution is an indicator of whether we’re being faithful to Christ. It’s a flag that people can look for. It’s an indicator. And if they’re not suffering at all, as they seem to not have been, in fact, proud of the fact, that alone was an indicator they were not living godly in Christ, according to 2 Timothy 3:12.

Now, Paul is very pointed here, and he reminds the Corinthians why he was suffering. He was suffering for their sake. And what better way could there have been for Paul to follow in the steps of Jesus than to suffer for their sake? Because Jesus, of course, suffered and died for us all. Isaiah 53, verse 3: “A man of sorrows, acquainted with grief,” describing Christ.

False Gospel Without Suffering

The false apostles’ arguments against suffering were really arguments against the gospel. And in fact, when we get to chapter 11, verse 4, Paul is going to make that very point. He’s going to say, look, these false apostles are preaching another Jesus. They’re preaching another gospel. And that gospel was trying to remove suffering from Christianity. That’s what their false gospel was trying to do. And Paul later will point out that that’s not the true gospel. That’s another gospel. Again, reminding us of Galatians. We saw some parallels with Galatians last week.

Paul tells them here in this verse that his own suffering helpful to them because it provides an example to them of how they can endure their own sufferings. And Paul’s comfort is also helpful to them. Why? Because it provides comfort to them. If Paul is comforted, that should comfort them as well.

Paul’s Vulnerability

You know, I said this letter is personal. With that point, Paul is really just laying it all out on the table, isn’t he? He’s laying it all out on the table. He’s really saying to them, You’re benefited when I’m comforted, because when I’m comforted, you’re also comforted.

Paul must have wondered at times if that was really true. He must have wondered to himself, do they really still love me? Are they going to be comforted when I’m comforted? Or are they, in fact, going to be glad when I’m suffering? He must have wondered that based on what had all happened here in Corinth.

But I think Paul knew, particularly from the report he’d gotten, that a majority of them had repented and had returned and they did love him. But you could see him just laying his heart out on the table here in these verses. And again, that’s why I think this letter is so personal to Paul. I think he’s talking just about himself here.

The Connection of Comfort and Salvation

Now, a key connection in verse 6 is comfort and salvation, consolation and salvation. Salvation makes the comfort possible. Salvation makes the comfort permanent, permanent and possible. It comes only through salvation. Without the saving work of Christ, there would not be any comfort for the suffering and affliction that Paul is talking about here.

Paul emphasizes here that the suffering for the gospel is worthwhile. Why? Because it will matter long after the suffering is over. It will have an eternal benefit. And the believers will experience this comfort and they will then be able to comfort others. So it will also have a more local, temporary benefit. All these benefits from the suffering and the comfort.

Verse 7 - Shared Suffering and Comfort

Verse 7: “And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye also be of the consolation.”

Yes, they will partake of the sufferings that Paul has experienced. But they will also partake of the comfort. They will also partake of the Paul was not alone in the suffering, and Paul was not alone in the comfort.

And that is a message that I’m sure was very different from what those false apostles were telling the Corinthians. The false apostles seemed to be preaching a gospel in which suffering for the sake of Christ played no role at all.

Modern False Apostles

And again, as we’ve discussed, those false apostles haven’t gone anywhere. If you want to see one, just turn on the TV set or go down to the old Compaq Center. Buy a ticket, and you can see it. Joel Osteen and his health and wealth gospel. And not just Joel, we give Joel a hard time as we should, but it’s not just Joel. You know, you could go further back in history. I think Joel went to Oral Roberts University, and Oral Roberts had a health and wealth gospel.

All of those health and wealth preachers, they would be right at home with the false apostles in 2 Corinthians because they were preaching all the same message. Take the suffering right out of the gospel. And what have you got left? The message of Joel Osteen. He’s got a lot of other problems, but that’s a big problem that he’s got.

Biblical Hope

Now, the Greek word translated hope here—It’s a beautiful word. It’s not really commonly found in the Gospel accounts or even in Acts, but in the letters you find it a lot. And in fact, in Paul’s letters, you really find it a lot.

Now, the English use of the word hope, we sometimes use that for just kind of like a vague wish. I kind of wish it would rain tomorrow. You know, I wish the Rice Owls would have a winning season. You know, whatever. You’re having a nice vague wish that may or may not come true. That’s not what hope means in Paul’s letters. That’s not what it means at all. It’s much more specific, much more specific.

When hope is focused on God and on Christ in the New Testament, it’s not just a vague wish like I wish it would rain tomorrow. It’s an expectation. You’re counting on God. You’re counting on Christ. You’re depending on God. You’re depending on Christ with that word hope. It’s a trust. A trust in a divine action. Why? Because we know the divine character, and that divine character gives us our trust, gives us our hope.

The same Greek word, in fact, is translated trust in verse 10. “In whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.” That’s the word. Biblical hope is so much more than just a vague wish. We hope and trust in God because we know what God has done and we know what God has promised to do.

Purpose in Suffering

Now Paul sees great purpose in his suffering on behalf of Christ. Suffering is painful, yes, very painful. But hope in God and hope in the gospel and hope in Christ will keep that suffering from overwhelming us. The eternal joy that will one day be exchanged for that temporary suffering will make it all worthwhile.

And again, don’t we have such a perfect example of that? Hebrews 12, verse 2: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” That’s our perfect example, and there’s no better example than the eternal joy that will replace the temporary suffering.

The Problem of Pain

You know, how do we respond to the problem of pain in this world? And that’s a big problem today. If you’re talking to someone about God and whether they believe in God, you’re going to get hit with the problem of pain because so many people who disbelieve today do so because of what they call the problem of pain, the pain in this world. How, they ask, could a loving God ever permit such pain and suffering in this world?

Jesus is the answer to the pain and suffering in this world. He is the solution, and He gives it meaning. But the reason we have the pain and suffering in this world is because of free will. And there’s no greater argument for free will than the existence of pain and suffering in this world, because it is not God’s will that there be so much pain and suffering in the world, but it is God’s will that we have free will, and as a consequence of that, we have this pain and this suffering.

There’s no greater argument for our free will than the existence of pain and suffering in this world, and the answer to that pain and that suffering is Jesus Christ. Jesus gives meaning to pain and suffering on his behalf. Jesus suffered, and so do we. We share in his suffering, but we also share in the comfort and the consolation.

Verse 8 - The Crisis in Asia

Verse 8: “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life.”

Again, in this verse and the next, we have the issue about who’s Paul talking about, right? Because he’s saying, we, we, we. And maybe he’s talking about Paul and his companions. Maybe he’s talking about himself and Timothy. But again, this is all just so personal. I think Paul’s just talking about himself here. I think this, he’s talking about just himself.

And in fact, later when we get to chapter 12, we’re going to see kind of another strange way of Paul referring to himself. He’s going to refer to himself in the third person in chapter 12, verse 2. Paul will be speaking of himself when he says, “I knew a man in Christ about 14 years ago.” I think nearly everyone agrees he’s talking about himself there in chapter 12. So I think he’s talking about himself here also.

What Happened in Asia?

Verses 8 and following, though, present a big unanswered question. And I might even say unanswerable question for the modern reader. And that is the question: what happened to Paul in Asia? What is he talking about here? What did happen to him that was so awful?

Now, why do I say just for the modern reader? Because I think it’s pretty likely that the Corinthians knew what he was talking about. I think they probably heard about what happened to Paul in Asia. They may not have known the extent of the suffering, but I think they probably had heard what happened to him. But maybe not, maybe not. Sometimes the people who suffer the most are the ones who talk about it the least. And maybe that was the situation here. Maybe Paul had not told them about what happened to him in Asia.

But I think most likely they did know what had happened to him, but they did not know the extent of his suffering. They did not know the intensity of his pain and his anguish from whatever that event had been.

I liked what one commentary said on that. They said this was something they had failed to appreciate because of the narrow-heartedness induced by the false apostles in their midst. When this letter was read in Corinth, there must have been some who were thoroughly shame-faced when they heard and understood the extent of what Paul had gone through and whatever this event was.

Various Theories

Well, what was this event? What did happen to Paul in Asia? Okay, commentaries are all over the map on that one. Both ancient and modern are all over the map.

The earliest explanation comes from Tertullian very, very long ago. And he connects this experience with fighting wild beasts in Ephesus. He says Paul actually fought a wild beast in the arena in Ephesus. And he bases that opinion on 1 Corinthians 15:32: “If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage does it have if the dead rise not?”

Now, most commentaries, including myself, think that that 1 Corinthians 15 verse 32 is not speaking about an actual event. He’s saying, if I did this or if I did that, what advantage would it be to me if the dead don’t rise? So, I don’t think we can take that verse and say Paul fought a wild beast in Ephesus.

Others connect it instead with something we know that happened. And that is the uprising caused by Demetrius in Acts 19, the silversmith. Now, the problem with that theory is that Paul seems to have escaped that unscathed, if you read the book of Acts. But one commentary particularly speculated that, well, maybe there was a much worse outbreak later, and maybe Paul was much more severely persecuted. There may have even been a plot to kill him. It’s like, it’s possible, just speculation.

Others say, oh, no, it was a deadly sickness. Others say, no, it’s just agony over the state of the church. Another say, no, it’s the thorn in the flesh which we’ll get to later in this letter.

The short answer is, we don’t know what happened to Paul in Asia. We don’t know what caused him to reach this level of despair. And we don’t need to know. This is a wonderful example of God telling us what we need to know and not telling us what we don’t need to know.

And in fact, maybe it’s better we don’t know it because then we, then we can, we don’t just pigeonhole it into one type of suffering. We don’t know what kind of suffering is. We know that Paul suffered horribly. Something terrible happened to Paul in Asia. But we don’t know specifically what it was.

The Extent of Paul’s Suffering

Well, how much suffering did it cause? Well, verse 8 tells us that Paul was pressed out of measure, above strength. He despaired even of life. The Greek phrase translated “pressed out of measure”—It’s used elsewhere to discuss an overloaded ship that’s riding so low in the water, it’s just about to go under. Or a pack animal that’s so heavily loaded, it’s just about to collapse. That’s what this word means that Paul uses here.

One translation says he was utterly, unbearably crushed. And I think that’s a good translation of what he’s saying. He’s so utterly crushed under this unbearable weight that he’s like he’s helplessly awaiting death. And in fact, the next verse tells us that, verse 9.

Verse 9 - The Sentence of Death

Verse 9: “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raises the dead.”

Paul describes the affliction he suffered there in Asia as a sentence of death. And again, commentaries differ on what that means, because this word sentence really occurs only here. And it could mean an official decree. And some commentaries say that Paul was actually sentenced to death, and that’s what he’s talking about.

But I think the better view is that no, it’s just he’s using it as an explanation of how he felt, that he felt like he’d been sentenced to death, that whatever it was was just so horrible and it’s so seemingly hopeless. That I think that’s really what’s being referred to here. Paul seemed to have seen no way out of this but death. It was like he had been sentenced to death.

God’s Purpose in Weakness

And perhaps God had brought Paul to what he thought was the end of his life just so Paul would not rely only on himself, but would rely instead on God, who then would deliver him from that. God who raises the dead, as this verse reminds us.

You know, this description here that we’re reading here about why this happened, so that he would trust in God and not himself, that does remind us of the thorn in the flesh, doesn’t it? Which we’ll see in chapter 12. Chapter 12, verse 10: “I take pleasure in infirmities and reproaches and necessities and persecutions and distresses for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” That’s right after the thorn in the flesh is discussed.

You know, is it the thorn in the flesh? It’s possible. We’ll talk about that later. My personal view is that it had something to do with some horrible, debilitating eye disease. We know Paul had horrible eyesight. He tells the Galatians in 4:15 that they would have plucked their own eyes out for him. He tells the Galatians in 6, verse 11, you can see the large letters I’m writing. When he meets the high priest in Acts 23, verse 5, Paul doesn’t even recognize him. If he saw him, he would have recognized him. So that tells us he could not see him clearly.

And it could have been some type of a painful eye disease. We don’t know. But whatever it was, we’ll get to that in chapter 12.

The Resurrection Hope

The last phrase here in verse 9, “which raises the dead,” it immediately brings to our mind the beautiful chapter 15, which we studied in 1 Corinthians. And all hope eventually goes back to that, doesn’t it? The resurrection of the dead. All hope goes to that. The resurrection of the dead. God raises people from the dead.

Absent that, there is no hope. Absent that, we are of all men most miserable. Absent that fact, there is no comfort. Absent that fact, there is no consolation. But with that fact, we can then say, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” And we can also read Hebrews 2, 14 through 15: “That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them who through the fear of death were all subject to bondage in their lifetime.” That is the victory.

And that hope depends on God who raises people from the dead, as this verse reminds us.

God’s Nature to Raise the Dead

I love what one of the older commentaries said on that. They said that this verb “raises” here is a timeless present participle expressing a permanent attribute of God. In other words, they say what that verb really means is that it is God’s nature to raise the dead. That is God’s nature. God by nature raises the dead. Isn’t that a beautiful thought?

And don’t we see that in Christ? How many times did Jesus break up a funeral? I mean, it’s Jesus’ nature to raise the dead on earth, and it’s certainly his nature now to raise the dead. Beautiful, beautiful. And isn’t that at the heart of the gospel? The heart of the gospel is the resurrection. Because absent that, our faith is vain.

Science vs. Gospel

You know, scientists today are searching the human genome, looking for eternal life. I read an article about it just this week. They’re trying to cure death so we can all live forever. Apparently, that’s what the Google executives are using their money on, trying to cure the problem of death.

Well, Jesus has a question for them. Jesus has a question for them. John 11, 25 and 26: “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this?” is the question. That’s the question.

Yes, God wrote the human genome, which is filled with information. In fact, the information content alone in the human genome is enough to put the theory of evolution to an end. It cannot be explained from random chance. It cannot. That alone is enough. But if you’re going to look for eternal life, you don’t look there. You look in that other thing that God wrote, His Word, the Bible. That’s where you’ll find it. That’s where you’ll find it.

And the good news of the gospel is that it’s no secret. It’s no secret. It’s available to all. We serve a God whose nature—whose nature is to raise the dead. Raise the dead. And that is the basis of our hope. It’s the resurrection of the dead.

Verse 10 - Past, Present, and Future Deliverance

Verse 10: “Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver, and whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.”

God delivered Paul from that horrible, hopeless, despairing tribulation and suffering that he was facing in Asia. Paul saw no way out but death. But God gave him a way out. God delivered him from that. And that’s what he’s saying here. “So great a death,” Paul describes it, but God delivered him.

And notice it’s not just past tense. God doth deliver. He will yet deliver. God’s deliverance is past, present, and future. And all three of them are mentioned here in this one verse.

God delivers his people. God raises the dead. Those are the facts to build your life around.

Closing

Thank you very much for your attention. Let’s have our final prayer.